BA Reveals Boeing 787 Launch Routes: Toronto, New York/Newark

British Airways has chosen Toronto and Newark as launch routes for its first Boeing 787 services as the airline revs up its marketing machine ahead of the Dreamliner's official debut next week.

BA's London-Toronto Boeing 787 service will begin on September 1, with London-Newark following on October 1. BA says the Boeing 787 "will also be doing shorthaul flying to Stockholm" sometime after October 1.

The Dreamliner service will make its international inaugural on the daily BA93/92 service between London and Toronto, while the daily London-Newark BA187/186 flight will score the 787.

Travellers can book special launch fares on their website with £787 (A$1300) return in World Traveller Plus premium economy from London to Toronto and Newark. Another £787 return will get you an upgrade to Club World business class.

The Dreamliners will also be rostered onto selected and as-yet-unannounced domestic and European routes prior to starting international flights.

Also released today was this 787 teaser including a few fleeting glimpses inside BA's Dreamliner.

The seating plan shows room for 214 passengers divided into the predictable mix of business, premium economy and economy – BA has joined other Boeing 787 airlines in dropping the first class cabin from the next-gen jetliner in order to focus on a cost-effective three-class layout.

35 Club World business class seats sit at the pointy end in a new 'triple' configuration of 2-3-2.

That's followed by 25 World Traveller Plus premium economy seats laid out 2-3-2; and 154 World Traveller economy seats split 3-3-3.

BA's 'Big Bang' launch

British Airways will take delivery of its first Boeing 787 in London today, with another expected to follow early next week, ahead of a worldwide media launch for both its Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 at London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday July 5.

The Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 are part of a ten-year A$8.2 billion upgrade to BA's long-distance fleet, which will include retiring the older and less fuel-efficient Boeing 747-400 jumbos.

"The 787 will become a mainstay of the British Airways fleet over the next few years" promises Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA parent IAG.

"This is the first of 24 that will arrive by 2017, and we have announced plans to convert further options for the aircraft into firm orders for delivery from 2017, including for the new larger 787-10 version."

Over the next 12 months, BA expects to take delivery of one new long-range aircraft every two weeks, including its 12 Airbus A380s and six additional Boeing 777-300ERs.

The Airbus A380 will begin from London to Los Angeles from October 15 and Hong Kong from November 15, and like the 787 will fly several routes closer to home in the lead-up to LAX.